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The Secrets to Success for Alexander’s Patisserie


Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

On a busy Saturday afternoon in Mountain View, California, the line at Alexander’s Patisserie — a pastry shop known for its precision and innovation — can stretch out the door. Customers eye a display case of delicacies, from black sesame croissants to more than 20 flavors of macarons. It’s easy to assume the appeal is in the presentation, but beneath the patisserie’s viral popularity is an authentic story: one of team leadership, craftsmanship and a dedication to continuous improvement.

Central to this story is Shuyao Cao, better known as Chef Shu. As the pastry chef behind the Alexander’s menu, she leads with creativity and intention, uniting the business with a collaborative spirit.

Related: Want to Work With Influencers? Here’s What Small Business Owners Need to Know.

“I feel like our whole team, everyone has their own talents,” Cao says. “Each one of them is unique, and I take the string from them, and then I put it together. I can’t come up with [the brunch menu] all by myself.”

The team dynamic is evident from the moment customers walk in the door. Whether staff are managing a packed tea service or catching up with regulars, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. David Brungard, vice president of operations for Alexander’s Group Corporate, says Cao’s leadership has helped make this work environment possible.

“[Chef Shu] earned every single person’s respect, including the dishwasher, because she does everything,” Brungard says. “She cleans the walk-in, makes the croissants, comes up with ideas and walks around to taste stuff. She makes family meals for our employees so that when they come to work, [they don’t have to eat pastries all day].”

According to Brungard, Cao’s hands-on leadership style has fostered a workplace culture built on trust and appreciation: “The level of quality in your life depends a lot on how you feel when you are at work, and [Chef Shu] knows how to make everyone in our team feel valued,” he says.

Related: 5 Secrets to Success From a Sustainable Business That’s Grown 95% in 3 Years

One of the patisserie’s most talked-about menu items — the famous flat croissant — wasn’t even for customers at first. “I wanted to try it because it went viral in my Asian area,” Cao says. “I wanted to taste it myself, so I made one at the patisserie, and the front and the back of the house really enjoyed it. So I said, ‘Let’s put it on the menu.'”

Since then, Cao’s flat croissants have become a fan favorite, driving traffic in-person and on social media. But trending pastries are only responsible for a portion of the patisserie’s success. What keeps Alexander’s relevant is its commitment to adaptation through customer feedback.

“ We see how customers react and how much we sell every day,” Cao says. “We see how people react on the internet, too. I read every review the customer leaves me, and I mean it. I take opinions, and then I let the whole team taste it. Even [Brungard], when he comes, I pull him.”

For Brungard, reviews function as both valuable feedback and a celebration of the team’s efforts: “When they mention an employee by name in a raving review, it makes me super happy because they deserve the credit,” he says. “I love it when the public recognizes their hard work. And then when they don’t, I take it on. That’s what I’m here for.”

Part of Alexander’s staying power comes from thoughtful sourcing that spares no expense for quality. “We use chocolate imported from France… the best chocolate in the world,” Cao says. “We make sure we use an AOP butter for our croissant. AOP butter is super expensive, and only one region of France makes it.”

And when specialty ingredients aren’t available through traditional vendors, Cao gets creative. “Sometimes I find matcha powder [or] the best sesame paste brand in the supermarket or the Chinese grocery store,” she says. “I can pick out different stuff for myself and then ask my sales guy if he can find me a bulk item.”

Related: How This North Carolina Lawn Care Company Earns Customer Loyalty

From recipe tasting to fixing kitchen equipment, Cao and Brungard run operations like clockwork, but always with heart. “Part of our meeting is to talk about new products, reviews, what’s broken in the kitchen,” Brungard says. “How can I fix it? How can I give you what you need to be successful?”

This behind-the-scenes support reinforces a company-wide policy: Take care of the team, and they’ll take care of the guest.

Ultimately, Alexander’s success comes from the patisserie staying true to its values. Thoughtful leadership and room for experimentation allow the team to chase their passions, resulting in a sweeter experience for the guests. “When you put love into something, it reverberates into the world,” Brungard says.

Consider Alexander’s Patisserie’s guiding principles for creating a thoughtful experience for both customers and staff:

  • Lead from within. Respect is earned. Set the tone by working alongside the team and staying hands-on in the operation.
  • Innovate with intention. Let curiosity, creativity and customer feedback drive your menu changes, rather than trends alone.
  • Feedback helps you pivot and grow. Read and discuss every review to identify areas for refinement and improvement.
  • Quality begins with sourcing. Whether it’s imported French butter or the perfect sesame paste, sourcing should be deliberate and can help your business align with its (and customers’) values.
  • Culture is the secret ingredient. A welcoming team translates into a positive guest interaction. When your team feels supported, the entire operation succeeds.

Related: She Runs a James Beard Award-Nominated Restaurant. Here’s Her 2-Step Process for Hiring the Best Employees.

Listen to the episode below to hear directly from Cao and Brungard, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Thursday.

Editorial contributions by Alex Miranda and Kristi Lindahl

This article is part of our ongoing America’s Favorite Mom & Pop Shops™ series highlighting family-owned and operated businesses



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These States Have the Most Affordable Housing in US: Ranking


The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the normally robust spring housing market was a “dud” this year, as economic and stock market uncertainty, coupled with mortgage rates hovering around 6.72% at press time, have kept buyers away.

The outlet notes that with more homes hitting the market, demand is not aligning with the rising inventory, and home prices are fluctuating (some areas are seeing drops while others remain high).

But there are some states where you can still find affordable housing.

U.S. News & World Report‘s 2025 Best States list looks at thousands of data points to rank each state on a variety of factors, including crime, economy, education, fiscal stability, health care, infrastructure, natural environment, and opportunity. Using that data, along with statistics from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and factoring in cost of living and other points, the outlet also ranked the best states for housing affordability.

Related: Thinking of Starting a Business? Here Are the 10 Best States for Startups, According to a New Report.

Still, it’s worth noting that many of the top states for housing affordability were ranked near the bottom of the list in categories including poverty rate, food insecurity, and median household income. But if you’re a remote worker looking for more land or the chance to buy a home at a low price, it could be worth checking out.

Here are the five best states for housing affordability, according to data used in U.S. News & World Report‘s “Best States” list.

1. Mississippi

Affordability Ranking: 2

Overall Best States Ranking: 48

According to Zillow, the average Mississippi home value is $189,710.

2. West Virginia

Affordability Ranking: 3

Overall Best States Ranking: 46

According to Zillow, the average West Virginia home value is $167,250.

3. Arkansas

Affordability Ranking: 1

Overall Best States Ranking: 44

According to Zillow, the average Arkansas home value is $217,895.

Related: Here Are the 10 Best States for Working Seniors

4. Alabama

Affordability Ranking: 8

Overall Best States Ranking: 45

According to Redfin, the average home price in Alabama is $281,400.

5. Kentucky

Affordability Ranking: 10

Overall Best States Ranking: 39

According to Redfin, the average home price in Kentucky is $263,400

You can find the full top 10 most affordable states list, here.

Click here for the full Best States list.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the normally robust spring housing market was a “dud” this year, as economic and stock market uncertainty, coupled with mortgage rates hovering around 6.72% at press time, have kept buyers away.

The outlet notes that with more homes hitting the market, demand is not aligning with the rising inventory, and home prices are fluctuating (some areas are seeing drops while others remain high).

But there are some states where you can still find affordable housing.

The rest of this article is locked.

Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.



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Femtech CEO on Leadership: Don’t ‘Need More Masculine Energy’


“I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership models,” Sarah O’Leary, CEO of femtech company Willow, tells Entrepreneur. “ There’s been a lot of noise and news around, ‘We need more masculine energy in the workplace.’ It makes you question as a leader: What is my style? How effective is my style? I don’t believe that we need more masculine energy.”

Image Credit: Courtesy of Willow

O’Leary characterizes her leadership style and the culture at Willow, the brand behind “patented leak-proof” wearable breast pumps and their accessories, as one that centers transparency and empathy to build trust within the workplace. According to the CEO, teams that have trust in each other — and in their leaders — are more likely to function in a way that’s conducive to success.

Related: Strong Leaders Use These 4 Strategies to Build Trust in Their Workplace

“I believe [flexibility in the workplace] makes us more productive.”

Instilling trust within team members means emphasizing a level of autonomy, O’Leary says. Willow is a “very flexible workplace,” O’Leary explains, noting that the company has never given its employees return-to-office mandates. As a mother of two herself, O’Leary is particularly cognizant of the everyday hurdles team members who are also parents face, and she wants to support them in any way possible.

“ If my kids’ elementary school concert is happening at 10 a.m., I’m going to sign off,” O’Leary says. “I’m going to go to that, then come back and keep going with my day. I don’t believe that makes us any less productive. I believe it makes us more productive. I feel very passionately that we can build a tremendously successful business while also operating in ways that feel authentic to our leadership and team.”

Related: This Mother of 6 Created a Hit Children’s Brand Without Any Industry Experience — Here’s Her No. 1 Secret for Entrepreneurial Parents Who Want to Achieve Big Goals

Willow is navigating its next growth chapter with O’Leary at the helm. The company recently announced its acquisition of UK-based femtech innovator Elvie, which is expected to boost revenue by 50%. Willow also continues to partner with organizations that support parents. To kick off its Mother’s Day campaign this year, the company announced a partnership with Canopie, a preventive maternal health care platform, to donate one million hours of maternal mental health support.

“[Being CEO is] a responsibility as much as it is a cool title.”

Prior to stepping into the CEO role at Willow, O’Leary served as the company’s chief commercial officer and “loved” the work. O’Leary has reflected a lot over the past year on her decision to become CEO, and she says that ambition wasn’t her primary motivator; instead, she recognized that she was the right person for the job at this moment.

“I cared deeply about our mission,” O’Leary explains. “I had a vision for where we could go. I understood the commercial operations of the business and could bring that together with our product teams. In some sense, [becoming CEO] has put me in a servant leader kind of role — It’s a responsibility as much as it is a cool title.”

Related: 10 Leadership Lessons From Successful CEOs — An Insightful Guide for the Ambitious Entrepreneur

At the end of the day, O’Leary suggests that leaders make sure their motivation is authentic to them — because that’s what will help them lead through the most difficult times.

“New tariffs are announced, and you’ve got to figure that out,” O’Leary says. “It is challenge after challenge, and the organization looks to you and says, ‘What are we going to do?’ This role is really about being willing to take responsibility for the people, products and customers. It’s not all glitz and glamor. You’re the first person who gets all the tough questions.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership models,” Sarah O’Leary, CEO of femtech company Willow, tells Entrepreneur. “ There’s been a lot of noise and news around, ‘We need more masculine energy in the workplace.’ It makes you question as a leader: What is my style? How effective is my style? I don’t believe that we need more masculine energy.”

Image Credit: Courtesy of Willow

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Save on Business Supplies with 60% off Sam’s Club Deal


Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

From product stock to office supplies, you can save more on your business expenses when you shop at Sam’s Club. Sam’s Club offers bulk buying options for technology, furniture, groceries, and so much more that can keep your business running for less.

And you can even save more when you get a discount on the cost of your Sam’s Club membership. So take advantage of this deal to lock down a 1-Year Sam’s Club Membership with Auto-Renew for only $20.00 (reg. $50.00).

Shopping at Sam’s Club protects your bottom line

Using a Sam’s Club membership to shop bulk business buys is a smart decision for your bottom line. Whether you’re looking for restaurant quantity rolls of tinfoil or office party disposable plates and utensils, you’ll find some of the best savings to stretch your business budget in the club.

Big items that put pressure on any budget, like cleaning supplies and tools or technology purchases like computers, may have significant discounts at Sam’s Club. And you may find the best savings on items you need to buy frequently by purchasing in bulk throughout the year.

Take advantage of Sam’s Club’s limited-item business model, which brings new, handpicked items to the shelves. Explore items you may not even realize you needed while stocking up on business supplies, party fruit platters, and more.

Plus, as a Sam’s Club member, you also get exclusive member perks. Some of these are travel discounts, such as hotel bookings and car rentals, so that you can save on business travel. Get discounted tickets to live events and movies to gift to your team or clients.

Save smarter when you get the ultimate Sam’s Club discount on a 1-Year Membership with Auto-Renew for just $20.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

From product stock to office supplies, you can save more on your business expenses when you shop at Sam’s Club. Sam’s Club offers bulk buying options for technology, furniture, groceries, and so much more that can keep your business running for less.

And you can even save more when you get a discount on the cost of your Sam’s Club membership. So take advantage of this deal to lock down a 1-Year Sam’s Club Membership with Auto-Renew for only $20.00 (reg. $50.00).

Shopping at Sam’s Club protects your bottom line

The rest of this article is locked.

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3 AI Tools to Help You Start a Profitable Solo Business


Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Most entrepreneurs are still using AI like a sidekick, just scratching the surface with simple prompts and chatbots. But if billion-dollar brands like Klarna and IBM are using AI to replace entire teams, why aren’t you?

Inside this video, I’m revealing three powerful AI tools that let you automate your business, eliminate bottlenecks and scale without hiring a single employee. If you’re ready to run a profitable one-person business without the overhead, this is your step-by-step guide.

Key takeaways:

1. Build your own AI team (without writing a single line of code): Discover how AI agents can act, think and execute like real employees, handling tasks like lead qualification, follow-ups and even decision-making. Forget basic chatbots — this is the next level.

2. Automate your workflow bottlenecks: Free up your time by eliminating the repetitive tasks you’ve learned to tolerate. From email management to SOP creation, these tools turn busywork into business growth.

3. Predict what’s working (before it’s too late): Stop guessing and start optimizing. Learn how to use predictive AI to track what’s actually working, before your funnel breaks. This is how you make data-driven decisions without a million-dollar budget.

I’ll walk you through each tool step-by-step, no tech background needed. If you’re ready to build a high-performance, one-person business that scales while you sleep, this video is your blueprint.

Download the free ‘AI Success Kit’ (limited time only). And you’ll also get a free chapter from Ben’s brand new book, “The Wolf is at The Door – How to Survive and Thrive in an AI-Driven World.”

Most entrepreneurs are still using AI like a sidekick, just scratching the surface with simple prompts and chatbots. But if billion-dollar brands like Klarna and IBM are using AI to replace entire teams, why aren’t you?

Inside this video, I’m revealing three powerful AI tools that let you automate your business, eliminate bottlenecks and scale without hiring a single employee. If you’re ready to run a profitable one-person business without the overhead, this is your step-by-step guide.

Key takeaways:

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Wants You to Make AI Friends


Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg predicts a future where AI will understand you so well that different AI personas will become your “friends.”

In a new interview with podcaster Dwarkesh Patel, Zuckerberg said that he thinks “the average person wants more connectivity, more connection that they actually have,” and thinks AI chatbots trained to have different personalities could help fill that void.

“The average American, I think, has fewer than three friends, three people they’d consider friends, and the average person has demand for meaningfully more, I think it’s like 15 friends,” Zuckerberg told Patel. (He was likely referring to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, which found that 40% of Americans say they have three or fewer friends, while 38% have five or more.)

Zuckerberg says AI has the opportunity to fill that gap.

Related: Meta Is Building AI That Can Write Code Like a Mid-Level Engineer, According to Mark Zuckerberg

Although he said that AI would “probably” not replace in-person or real-life connections, it could help people feel less alone. He added that users are already tapping into AI to prepare for difficult conversations with people in their lives, and other companies are already offering AI personas as virtual therapists and romantic partners.

“For people who don’t have a therapist, I think everyone will have an AI,” Zuckerberg said in a separate podcast with analyst Ben Thompson last week.

Related: Meta Is Testing AI That Can Catch Teenagers Trying to Get Around Age Rules on Instagram

However, not everyone is on board with having AI “friends,” and social media users criticized Zuckerberg for his comments.

The writer Neil Turkewitz wrote on X that Zuckerberg’s perspective “is what happens when you believe that humanity is reducible to binary data — you think of friendship through the lens of supply & demand.”

Other users questioned if AI friends would tell humans how to vote and what to believe, while another tracked Meta’s evolution from a place to connect with friends in 2006 to a place to connect with “imaginary friends” in 2026.

Some were more optimistic, writing that they “wanted an AI friend.”

Carolyn Rogers, head of marketing at the agency Blokhaus, wrote on X that the next step would be for AI friends to start recommending products, enabling Meta to monetize that friendship.

Zuckerberg’s comments arrive as Meta released a standalone Meta AI app last week to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and xAI’s Grok.

Zuckerberg revealed in an Instagram video about the app’s release that almost a billion people use Meta AI globally across the company’s apps like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Related: Meta Takes on ChatGPT By Releasing a Standalone AI App: ‘A Long Journey’





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Fed Holds Rates Steady. Here’s How it Impacts Mortgage Rates.


Federal Reserve policymakers announced that they were holding the federal funds rate steady after the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on Wednesday. The target range remains unchanged at 4.25% to 4.5%.

The last time the FOMC cut rates was at its December meeting, when it lowered the target range by 25 basis points, or 0.25%.

The federal funds rate is the borrowing rate that banks charge each other for loans. A lower rate ripples out to lower borrowing costs on credit cards and personal loans, though banks individually choose how to respond to rate changes. The average credit card interest rate is currently around 21%, while car loan rates for new vehicles are around 6%.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference following the FOMC meeting that inflation, which was at an annual rate of 2.4% in March, was still above its 2% target and that the Fed was taking a “wait and see” approach to its monetary policy adjustments.

Related: Core Inflation Is at Its Lowest Level in 4 Years — But Will the Fed Cut Rates? Experts Expect the Agency to ‘Stay Humble and Data-Dependent’

“There’s just so much that we don’t know, I think, and we’re in a good position to wait and see, is the thing,” Powell stated at the news conference. “We don’t have to be in a hurry. The economy is resilient and doing fairly well.”

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Industry experts aren’t surprised. Ed Yardeni, head of Yardeni Research consultancy, told NBC News that the best thing for the Fed to do was to wait and see if inflation or unemployment poses more of a problem down the line.

“The evidence so far is that, for now, it’s likely to be more of a cost problem than a labor market problem,” Yardeni told the outlet.

Related: Are Amazon’s Prices Going Up? Here’s How the Company’s CEO Answered Questions About Tariffs.

Last month, President Donald Trump levied a 10% tariff on all trading partners and a tariff as high as 145% on China that could affect consumer prices.

Powell noted at the news conference that there was “a great deal of uncertainty” about tariff policies and stated that the Fed would carefully monitor the effects of tariffs on inflation and unemployment.

The next meeting is on June 17 and 18, and experts are already expecting the Fed to keep rates steady. Barclays estimates that the Fed will keep rates the same in June and make its first rate cut in July, while Morgan Stanley anticipates no rate cuts this year, per USA Today.

What does the Fed’s decision mean for mortgage rates?

Melissa Cohn, regional vice president of William Raveis Mortgage, told Entrepreneur in an email that she predicts mortgage rates should lower this week because the Fed decided to hold rates steady.

“Mortgage rates will drop a bit this week as bonds have cheered the Fed’s decision to leave rates alone,” Cohn stated.

Cohn also noted that May would be “a very telling month” as the Fed gets a better idea of the impact of tariffs on the economy.

“Now, it’s back to data-watching and, of course, to see where the tariff negotiations end up,” Cohn stated.



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Barbara Corcoran’s Beloved NYC Penthouse Is for Sale


“Shark Tank” star Barbara Corcoran, 76, first got a glimpse of her dream home in 1992.

She was running Corcoran Realty at the time and was delivering letters for a messenger service as a side job to help pay her bills. One of her tasks was delivering an envelope to an apartment on the top floor of a building on Fifth Avenue and 97th Street.

When Corcoran entered the apartment, she was impressed by its terrace with views of Central Park. She gave the home’s owner her envelope and told her to call if she ever thought about selling the unit.

“I walked in and saw this green, lush terrace through the French doors, and said to the lady who let me in, ‘If you’re ever going to sell this, would you sell it to me?'” Corcoran told The New York Times in a previous interview.

Related: ‘How Lucky Am I?’: Tour Barbara Corcoran’s $13 Million New York Apartment

More than two decades later, she got a phone call: The home’s owner was ready to sell. Corcoran bought the 4,600-square-foot two-story penthouse apartment for $10 million in 2015 and renovated it for an additional $2 million over the next 18 months.

Now she’s saying goodbye, she says, because of the apartment’s curved staircase—she and her husband, Bill Higgins, 80, a former FBI agent, are finding the steps difficult to navigate. The pair found a new apartment, a single-story penthouse in the same neighborhood of Carnegie Hill, to call home.

Corcoran told The New York Times on Tuesday that she has listed her penthouse for sale for $12 million, slightly lower than what she spent buying and renovating it, but a “fair price” in her estimation. Monthly maintenance fees cost around $11,000.

Related: ‘Better Negotiation Position’: Barbara Corcoran Says Do These 2 Things When Asking For a Raise at Work

The apartment has five bedrooms, five full baths, and two half baths. Corcoran completely revamped the space to include features like a library with a wood-burning fireplace, a butler’s pantry, and a full kitchen off the terrace.

“The apartment is laid out like a multilevel jewel box,” Corcoran broker Scott Stewart, who is co-listing the apartment, told The Times.

Corcoran has previously been enthusiastic about her love of the duplex apartment. In a 2022 interview with TikTok star Caleb Simpson, Corcoran said she sat in the apartment’s kitchen every day and thought to herself, “How lucky am I?”

“Never ever did I think I would have such a pretty kitchen,” Corcoran told Simpson.

@calebwsimpson @barbara.corcoran ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

Corcoran has recently lost a home due to fires. She revealed in January that fires in LA had destroyed her $800,000 mobile home in Tahitian Terrace Mobile Home Park.

Corcoran previously disclosed that she makes about $4.5 million a year from her investments, including profits she has made as a “Shark Tank” investor for 16 years. The millionaire sold her real estate company, The Corcoran Group, for $66 million in 2001 and has since closed 650 deals on “Shark Tank.”

Related: ‘I’m the Best Boss I’ve Ever Met’: Barbara Corcoran Says It Takes One Principle to Be a Good Boss



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OpenAI Says It Will Stay Under Nonprofit Control


Months after publicly stating its intention to shake up its corporate structure, OpenAI has reversed course and decided that its nonprofit arm will keep controlling its for-profit business.

According to an OpenAI blog post published Monday, the company’s board of directors decided that OpenAI will continue to rely on the oversight and control of its nonprofit division moving forward.

“OpenAI was founded as a nonprofit, and is today overseen and controlled by that nonprofit,” OpenAI board chairman Bret Taylor wrote in the blog post. “Going forward, it will continue to be overseen and controlled by that nonprofit.”

The company’s for-profit LLC, which has lived under the nonprofit since 2019 and will continue doing so, will become a public benefit corporation (PBC). A PBC is a for-profit business that must consider the public good in addition to profit in its decisions. The nonprofit division of OpenAI will control and be the biggest shareholder in the PBC.

“Our mission remains the same,” Taylor noted. OpenAI’s mission is “to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.”

Related: Everyone Wants to Buy Google’s Chrome Browser — Including OpenAI, According to a Top ChatGPT Executive

In December, OpenAI publicly indicated in a blog post that it was thinking about making its for-profit section a PBC, but one that had complete control over OpenAI’s operations and business. The non-profit side would not oversee the for-profit, but would instead be in charge of charitable initiatives.

Taylor wrote on Monday that OpenAI chose to reverse course and have the nonprofit retain control over the for-profit business after talking to civic leaders and with the offices of the Attorney General of Delaware and the Attorney General of California.

More than 30 civic leaders, former OpenAI staffers, and Nobel laureates delivered letters to the offices of the attorneys general last month to ask that they stop OpenAI’s effort to break from its non-profit governance.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images

OpenAI has recently been embroiled in a legal battle with Elon Musk, who helped co-found the company and left in early 2018 following a failed bid to take it over. Musk has since filed lawsuits against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, accusing them of breaking OpenAI’s founding agreement and working to maximize profits for Microsoft instead of humanity as a whole. Microsoft has invested close to $14 billion in OpenAI.

Musk even led an unsolicited offer to buy OpenAI for $97.4 billion in February, which Altman quickly shot down on X. As of press time, Musk had yet to comment.

Related: OpenAI Is Creating AI to Do ‘All the Things That Software Engineers Hate to Do’

OpenAI started as a nonprofit in 2015 and transitioned to a “capped profit” company in 2019, meaning that the company’s profits were limited to a certain amount, with excess profits given to the nonprofit parent organization. The for-profit arm raised $1 billion from Microsoft in 2019, alongside a $100 million initial fundraising round.

In November 2022, OpenAI launched its AI chatbot ChatGPT, which was used by 500 million global weekly users as of March, up from 400 million in February.

OpenAI closed a $40 billion funding round in March, the biggest private tech deal ever, which valued the company at $300 billion.



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All-in-One Business Site Builder, CRM, Project Management and More, Now $399


Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

Small businesses spend between $10,000 and $49,000 per year on technology, including software, according to a CompTIA survey. Too often, this spending is on an inefficient mix of services and platforms.

There’s a better option for businesses to invest in with a lifetime purchase: Sellful. Sellful is the AI-powered, one-stop shop for website building, CRM, marketing, invoicing, project management, and basically anything else you could need to run your business from a single software platform. And it’s currently discounted to $399, down from $1,497.

Software with AI-powered business tools

It’s hard to meet all of your business’s needs in a single platform. But when you start mixing and matching platforms, there’s a chance your team could lose efficiency or start duplicating tasks across platforms. Sellful ends that, offering white-labeled tools for enterprise resourcing including: building websites, creating online shops, managing contacts in your CRM, invoicing, scheduling appointments, integrating point of sale, and so much else.

At each level of these tools, you are supported by AI tools. Automate your help desk tasks by triggering the creation of support tickets. Set up outreach and communication schedules with AI. You can even generate your entire website with AI assistance and then tweak it to your liking.

Work more efficiently with content cloner tools. Set up AI assistants and chatbots. Send 50,000 emails free, and add on individual packs of 10,000 emails for just $10 per month. If your business wants to use it, you’ll find the tool on Sellful.

Unlock the wide range of digital services businesses need in a single place when you opt into the Sellful all-in-one platform for a single payment of $399.

StackSocial prices subject to change.



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